


When Dust Settles

by GlitterCake20



Series: the mountain and the wolf [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Closure, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Full Shift Werewolves, M/M, Reunions, Werewolf Theo Raeken, and a little bit of magic, feelings af, happy gays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 17:09:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17288105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterCake20/pseuds/GlitterCake20
Summary: Liam goes home.orThe Desolate Epilogue.





	When Dust Settles

They’ve grown older him and Liam, their eyes have gradually begun wrinkling in the corners ever so slightly. Their reinforced bones however, still work the same but inside they’re different, wiser, at peace.

Enemies and battles come and go, and they protect their town and friends the way they always have- with their lives. Sometimes they come home bruised and bleeding, sometimes things get so rough that he has to remind Liam they’ve been through worse. Still, there’s nothing that time can take away from them, from how they love one another, also with their lives.

Theo remembers when he first saw that blonde head of hair—then spiked and much lighter–Liam’s eyes shocking and wild in his head and he remembers thinking there has never been anything more beautiful than that. Even though, at the time his intentions were flawed and lacking. An angel is still an angel, and he is not blind.

He’s been fortunate enough to have met Liam twice in his life. The first was as he will always remember him- growling, angry and full of fight. The second was the man he’ll love until his dying day, standing in a cold living room with a pair of glowing red eyes, guilty and bare and scared. Those are two different people, but he loves them as one.

He also remembers a time on a mountain - perhaps the most significant time of their lives - in a small cabin that barely held the two of them, when all that existed was him and Liam. A time when their hearts were so broken, there was hardly space to walk between all the shattered pieces at their feet.

But they navigated their way. Rebuilding their lives had almost been as painful as breaking it apart. And, at times he’s sure they both considered to just leave everything broken and wallow within it. When Liam gave up and dropped the load, Theo carried it until he was ready again. When people wanted answers Liam didn’t have, Theo told them a beautiful story of a man stronger than anyone he’s ever known, one that loves so fiercely his heart can’t bear it all. He’d then watch Liam smile quietly. And God, it’s still a beautiful thing to see.

They’ve been back for years now, but they’ve never been the same since. Theo feels it every time Liam sits unmoving, twiddling grass around his fingers beside a headstone marked McCall, every time Liam is left with a room full of people who look to him to keep them safe. He hears the voice inside his mate, doubtful that he’ll do a good enough job and fearful of losing another pack member. He knows there are pieces of Liam left in Colorado, bits he didn’t take with him, perhaps he left it there for a reason or perhaps they were too heavy to carry home.

Right now, next to him Liam’s hair is fanned out on his pillow, his breathing even and steady. His body naked and soft, beard rough and maybe a little long. Their room, unlike the cabin, is warm and Theo finds himself missing the freezing cold every time he looks at the broken-off ear of a coffee mug hanging on their wall, framed.

His fingers ghost down Liam’s arm, “Hey…” he whispers, and Liam stirs, eyelids fluttering sleepily. “I wanna go back.”

Liam’s voice is bleary when he answers, “Back where?” and he turns so he can wipe the drool from his mouth corner.

“Back to Colorado.” He swings an arm around Liam, buries into his side where he can feel his heart beating behind his ribs.

Liam stills, snaps his head to Theo. “What?”

“It’s been so long baby.” His hands span down the length of Liam’s torso, still taut and youthful after all this time. “What about a little vacation, huh?”

With a soft sigh Liam eases his head back down. “What if they need us?” he says of his mom, of Alec, Nolan, Mason and Corey too who are now blissfully married and retired from pack activities.

The guilt is one thing Liam didn’t leave behind. It’s something he drags with him all over. With that guilt comes fear, and even more than his rage, it just about consumes him. Theo has told him countless times that he can’t be everywhere all the time, can’t protect from the inevitable. Liam’s answer is always the same: Scott did.

And so, Theo carries this weight as well. As if it were his own.

“They’ll be fine. Just a weekend. And I promise when we get back they will still be fine.”

Trusting, Liam wraps an arm around Theo’s shoulder and draws him close for a kiss, “Fine.” he says, “When do we leave?” and Theo smiles.

“Tomorrow morning.”

Liam groans a long sullen sound that means coffee to Theo who speaks this sacred language fluently now. “Of course. C’mon, sit up.” he says and produces a steamy cup of coffee which he takes a sip from before handing it over to Liam.

The cup is big and white and a little tattered, overused in the best way. Well, because some things never change, and they still only use the one cup even though their kitchen is fully stocked with sets of them now.

It’s their small little remembrance, something consecrated and rich with value only they will ever understand.

Theo lets him wake up properly in their large bed while he gets dressed for work, coming over occasionally for a sip of coffee.

When Liam later emerges, dressed and ready after a hot shower, Theo drops him off at Beacon High where he’ll text Theo about insane history facts he discovered with his class. He never grows tired of hearing about it.

Theo checks in at the animal clinic around 8:30, does a cage check with the pups and lines up the papers for Deaton with all their appointments that day. He, in turn, sends Liam selfies with the cats.

Occasionally they must drop their normal lives to fight the big bad. Whatever that may be. This is still Beacon Hills after all.

That night though, after a long day, Liam comes home exhausted and Theo sees it in the bleakness of his cheeks, the need for release. The need for silence like they had in the cabin.

“Please?” Liam asks, his tired voice barely a whisper.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Theo gets up and grabs his car keys. It’s become a routine for them: They get home after a tiring day, and before they eat or bath or even talk sometimes, they go running.

In a wide clearing on the far side of the preserve, Theo stops the truck, gets out and strips down. He watches Liam do the same. They stand in the headlights of the truck, naked, hearts pounding.

He waits for Liam, who has now mastered this to perfection. Liam drops to his knees, tips his head back and breathes in deep, turning his palms up. The white alpha emerges with a low growl, always, and replaces Liam’s shape beside him.

Simply one of the most magical things.

Theo follows and transforms smoothly, he turns and shares a silent nose nudge with Liam and then he’s off.

They run and run, winding through trees and over rocks, down little gravel pathways and uphill at unthinkable speeds. Eyes alight in the darkness. Liam always passes him at some point, but, he also always looks back to make sure Theo is still there.

When they’re out there, it’s only them and their pounding hearts, their ragged breathing and eventually, once they reach the cliffside, they howl in harmony into the night. All of Beacon Hills below them, supernatural or simply canine responds, echoing their calls.

There’s always a text on Liam’s phone from Corey when they get back to the truck- a wolf emoji and  _ ‘ahooooooooo’ _ Because he can’t howl back. Makes Liam laugh without fail every time. The next day at the animal clinic everyone will ask what the hell got into the dogs last night, and Theo will only smirk, knowing, while administering Fluffy’ s injections.

Liam is the first to reach the truck again and shift back. He breathes anew, cheeks pink again, eyes bright while he pulls his clothes back on.

“Why do you always go down on your knees when you shift?” Theo asks when they finally get back in the truck.

Liam looks pensive for a second, turns to Theo and shrugs, “For Scott. His wolf. Respect, I guess. Feels like the right thing to do.”

Amazed and a little sad, Theo grabs his face and kisses him, “Love you Dunbar. Love you bad.”

“I know.” He smiles and holds Theo’s hand in his lap as they drive back home.

 

**~*~**

_ Entering California, the bus rounds a bend and a beautiful blue shaded mountain comes into view. Something that signals home to Liam in every way. His cabin, Beacon Hills. But he’s not so sure he belongs in either anymore. _

_ A heaviness settles within him at the sight, thinking back to what they left behind in Colorado.  It’s been only a few days, but it feels like an eternity already and he misses it more than he thought possible, the silence, the safety and a tiny little spider. _

_ “Theo…” he whispers, squeezing his mate’s hand in his lap, suddenly not ready to face the last two years on this side of the world. His mom, Mason and the place where Scott’s memory lives louder than anywhere else. _

_ And because Theo knows him and all his troubles, what his heart feels at this very moment, he squeezes back, “Look at me.” He says, and Liam turns away from the long stretch of road ahead, finding the clear green of Theo’s eyes. Theo lifts Liam’s hand to his chest, “Your home is here. With me baby. You’re safe. With me you’ll always be safe.” _

_ “I love you. I love you so bad.” he says for the fifth time that day. _

_ Theo smiles and rolls his head back against the seat, basking in filtered sunlight, “Love you more, little alpha.” _

**~*~**

 

This time there’s a little more time to pack. There’s no running, panicked, in the middle of the night or leaving people behind, there’s no blood on the shower floor like there was the night he left.

There’s only Theo. Wrapped in a towel, brushing his teeth in front of a steamed-up mirror. Liam wipes it for him, kisses his cheek and smacks shaving cream into the palms of his hands.

“Wait! You’re shaving it off??” Theo mumbles, shocked, through a mouth full of foam and turns to look at him. He spits and rinses, “Why??”

“Feel like it’s time.”

Liam hasn’t shaved clean since they came back years ago, only ever trimmed but kept the scruff. Kind of felt a little like hiding from his old self, the young boy who let his pack down. Like, maybe this way they wouldn’t associate the two. (Not only did they not associate the two, they didn’t care about what he had done before, or where he hadn’t been. They were simply happy that he was alive.)

He thinks maybe going back to the mountain the way he arrived there would be nice. Maybe the mountain will recognize him and welcome him back with open arms.

“Remember when you did it for me up in the cabin? When you shaved my face?” He looks up at Theo and bites his lip, “Standing between my legs like that…”

“Hmm,” Theo hums, hands sliding up Liam’s ribs until he can lift him up to sit on the edge of the basin.

“You were shaking so bad.”

“I was so stupid back then. Should have just kissed you that day. You know, sooner, so I could love you longer.”

“Kiss me  _ now _ .” Liam says, breath hitching when Theo’s mouth finds his neck, palms resting warm and heavy on his naked thighs. It’s always like that very first time, only so much he can do to keep from melting entirely when Theo touches him. His lips stay so warm and gentle, kissing just hard enough to let Liam know he’ll never let go of him.

Theo’s hand tangles in the back of his hair to tug his head to the side and Liam moans in the back of his throat, looks into those fiery green eyes, crow’s feet adorning their corners but still just as pretty as when they were younger.

“We’re gonna be  _ so _ late for the flight if you do that.” He gives only a half-hearted protest, putty in Theo’s hands.

Theo drops his towel and squeezes Liam’s hip the way he likes, “Do what?” he smiles teasingly against Liam’s lips. He’s so close and so warm and Liam swears he’s not a teenager anymore but...

Wrapping his legs around Theo, he breathes out a surrendering “Ah, fuck it!” and lets it happen because his reservations has always been low when it comes to this wolf.

His eyes still flash bright red for Theo when he comes, and Theo still responds with an electric blue, mouth parted like sin, body shaking as he follows Liam over the edge. It remains the most inexplicably gorgeous thing Liam’s ever seen. Their marks burn then, it tingles under their skin and flares up like an infected wound. Theo always licks and blows on it until the sting subsides. A reminder of the bond they made years back.

Sometimes they go at it rough and hungry like the animals they are, until their bones ache and their bodies beg for reprieve. Most days, however, they make love so soft and slow and quiet, like they’ll never stop appreciating what they have, and this is the only way to do it. Reverent, like a prayer.

Needless to say, they end up throwing what they can into a bag and rushing out of their apartment, hair still wet from a second shower, cheeks bright red from a heated session between the sheets only minutes earlier. At least Liam got to shave.

“Muffins!” Liam shouts behind him as they pass Jenna’s bakery down the road, “They’re free!”

Theo drags him into a cab, “No time!!”

“But muffins!?”

“You’re a butt muffin!”

The cab driver shoots them a look and Liam sputters with laughter. “You’re the worst I swear.”

 

**~*~**

_ His hands shake terribly when he presses the doorbell. Theo stands beside him and holds his other hand so tight the bones may crack but he never moves, not even an inch. His heart is steady for Liam to listen to, slow thumps that he can easily count to calm himself. _

_ “—Okay?! So just… chill! I’ll do it first thing in the morning.” Liam hears from the other side of the door and looks at Theo. “Yeah. ‘kay. Bye Jesica with one ‘s’—Jesus fucking Christ…” Theo purses his lips, trying not to laugh while Liam rattles with nerves beside him. _

_ “It is nine pm, who in the—” The door handle turns, and it swings open. _

_ Liam sucks in a breath so deep it hurts because she’s beautiful in her fury, he can barely stand to look at her. _

_ His mom has her hair up high on her head, strands of dirty blonde falling in her face and her cheeks are smeared with white and pink blotches of cake frosting. _

_ She stares at him for an incredulous couple of seconds, blinking, and then her hands fly up to her face and the wells break. Hers and Liam’s. _

_ “Dear god. Liam!” she cries and tugs him into her body. Their two tiny frames fit together like puzzle pieces, one and the same. “My baby boy. My sweet… oh god.” And then she’s sobbing. _

_ Liam puts his arms around her and holds tight. “Mom.” He whimpers, “Mommy…” he can’t manage much more than that, breathing her scent in, feeling her soft cheek against his. Home. Like Theo, this is home. _

_ She pulls back and puts her hands on either side of his face, “You are home.” Her teary, blue eyes search his face, still unbelieving, making sure he is really there. “You’re home baby?” _

_ “I’m home mom.” _

_ Her thumbs sweep away the tears that roll down his cheeks, and then, over his shoulder she sees Theo and makes another wounded sound. He comes closer of his own accord and smiles softly at her, “Jenna, hey.” _

_ “Come here! Come here, oh God. I am going to kick both your asses so fucking hard!” She pulls Theo down too, her arms now full of werewolf, “Are you hungry?? You must be hungry?! Your dad’s gonna have a fucking heart attack, Liam. Jesus. Come in!” _

_ Liam catches Theo’s eye before they step inside, he’s got a beautiful, happy gleam about him, the same expression that athletes who cross the finish line wear. Essentially, he supposes Theo has been in a race, a race to find him and this is his finish line. _

_ Jenna makes them any kind of food their hearts desire, she piles a plate so high with pancakes, it topples over, she keeps their glasses full of fresh lemonade and tells them stories of her bakery, her ditsy assistant discourteously called ‘Jesica-with-one-s’, and of David’s work building a memorial wall for everyone Beacon Hills lost during the war. _

_ And, later, she squeals with delight when they show her their new eye colours. “You’re both so beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.” She tells them endearingly, and pinches Theo’s chin, “Blue is my favourite colour.” _

_ “Mine too.” Says Liam and brushes his knuckles against Theo’s where their hands lay side by side on the countertop. _

_ Heartbreakingly though, stuck to the fridge with a heart-shaped magnet, is a picture of Liam with thick black letters underneath it that read:  _ **_MISSING_ ** _. Please call… _

**~*~**

 

It’s spring, they realise stupidly, when they land in Colorado. Liam’s not sure why he thought it’ll always be covered in snow up there, he was there during summer and spring and autumn when leaves fell red and brown. He’s seen the seasons from the little window and he thinks that may exactly be the problem.

He never had this unhindered view of the open expanse before him. It’s… it’s something beyond what his words and thoughts are capable of expressing. By the look on Theo’s face, he feels the same.

“God, did you…”

“Nope…”

“It’s so—”

“I know…”

In front of them the mountain spans up and up, covered in lush green grass so long their knees are buried in it, each stem topped with a little, yellow flower. Some are purple too, splotches of lavender between the fields of sunshine at their feet. Blankets and blankets of beauty neither have ever seen. Besides the view, the sun is warm and welcoming, the wind just the right amount of frigid to keep them cool while they hike upwards.

At least Liam is familiar with the nippy breeze, that is something he knows down deep in the core of him. He misses it sometimes, how grounding that could be: snapping and real when he had nothing else but words carved into wood to anchor to.

They take their time to the top, their hands stay clasped, and they take in all that blooms around them. He, specifically, takes in Theo’s face in this light. His tanned skin, the glowing highs of his cheeks and his pretty mouth set in a grin while his fingers drag over the tops of flowers as he walks.

He sometimes looks over to Liam and catches him staring, “Watch where you’re going dork!” he’ll say and blush. Still, after all this time. Then, Liam laughs at him when  _ he’s _ the one to trip over a rock.

At one point Theo stops and when Liam turns around he’s kneeling on one leg with a bunch of flowers clutched in his hand and he’s smiling brilliant and bright at Liam, “Dance with me?”

“Oh my god, you really are a sap, huh?”

“Come on? Please?” he squints against the blinding sun, “Live a little.” Theo says with a twinkle of a challenge in his voice.

Liam shrugs the backpack off, and does a little bow, extending his hand to Theo. “Mr. Raeken.”

Theo lets Liam pull him up and against his chest, and then he takes the lead, twirling them around and swaying slowly like they did that one time in the cabin too. Theo doesn’t sing this time, but he smiles against Liam’s cheek, bending down a bit so they’re level.

No one says it—that they love each other with wild abandon, so much that their blood runs hot with it, that their souls are an intertwined mess—they don’t say that because they already know. It’s in the way Liam’s arm loops around Theo’s back and pulls him closer, fingers curling into his skin. It’s in the way Theo’s face tilts sideways and he plants a long, lingering kiss to Liam’s temple. All while the sun shines down on them, happy and safe, and the breeze whips through their hair and the hems of their shirts.

Their love is spread all over, it’s ingrained in this mountain, and everything around here knows it.

“Do you hear that” Theo asks finally, after a long while, and pulls back a little to listen.

Liam tilts his head to the side, “Water? And… music?”

Theo nods and heads in the direction of a peacefully trickling stream, off to the west side of the mountain, there is even more greenery here. Flowers grow big and colourful; the grass seems to part while they walk toward the crystal blue stream.

Liam stops when they see an old man sitting on the rocks beside the stream. He’s playing a wooden flute, dressed in an old poncho that covers his shoulders, his hair shines silver in the sun and hangs down his back in an untidy braid.

They share a look and Liam realises they’ve gotten close enough for the man to know they’re there.

Liam also has a feeling he knew they were there before they even arrived.

 

**~*~**

_ “You’re not gonna knock on the door??” _

_ “No? This is way more fun.” _

_ “Then why didn’t you climb into your mom’s window?” _

_ Liam turns and gives Theo a look, like, are you stupid? _

_ “Fair. She would have shot us. Still not convinced that she’s isn’t Buffy.” _

_ “Shut Up will ya? He’s gonna hear us.” _

_ “Hey, you know Mason tried to hit a hellhound with a baseball bat, right? We are not safe here.” _

_ “Please. I can take him.” _

_ “That’s why I love you. Stupid-brave.” _

_ “Shhh.” _

_ With a surprising lack of noise, he drops into Mason’s bedroom window, Theo rolls in after him. _

_ Mason and Corey have sprawled out on the couch downstairs, Liam saw them through the living room window. And instead of greeting him after two years like a normal person, Liam decides to scare him shitless instead. What are best friends for? _

_ He’s nervous though, hoping the joke eases the blow of Liam abandoning him. He hopes Mason still loves him the same, that he still wants to be his friend after all that has happened. _

_ “What’s the plan here? Besides getting clubbed to death.” _

_ Liam digs around in Mason’s cabinet and pulls out two remotes, switches the X-box on and turns the volume up so loud there’s no way they won’t be heard now. They start playing and Liam listens. Maybe this way—playing the game they always used to play—it’ll be like Liam never left and they can pick up the years from there. _

_ There is a rustle and sudden scamper downstairs, muffled voices and thudding heartbeats. He smiles. _

_ He hears them argue about the source of the noise, then finally deciding that it comes from upstairs. Two sets of footsteps creep up the stairs, the bedroom door creaks open and with a loud yelp Mason storms in with a lacrosse stick angled above his head. _

_ Liam leaps up just before the stick comes down where he was sitting on the beanbag beside Theo. _

_ “Mason!” Corey calls out, half hysterical because he recognises them first. His face does something incredible when Theo gets up slowly, too. _

_ Liam’s body is riddled in goose bumps when Mason lays eyes on him, recognition dawning on his face gloriously. _

_ “Hey buddy…” Liam says breathy and suddenly overcome. _

_ Mason’s mouth twitches into an uncertain smile and it’s clear he doesn’t know what the hell to do. And, with the lack of response his eyes flood with tears. “Li…” _

_ Apologies build in Liam’s throat, but Mason launches himself into Liam “Oh god, oh god oh god!!!” He’s shaking, Liam would feel bad about that but he’s not doing much better, so all he does his hug him back with desperate grabbing hands. _

_ “Liam.” he whispers, soft and comforting. Not angry, just… relieved. “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you man.” He leans back, just like Jenna did, to check that it really is his best friend standing before him. _

_ “Me too Mase. I’m so sorry—” _

_ Mason shakes his head feverously, “None of that. Not now. You’re here.” And he smiles and grabs Liam’s face, plants a fat kiss right on his cheek that makes Liam laugh. “No homo. But Jesus, I missed you!” _

_ Corey and Theo stand awkwardly in the corner until Mason looks over to Theo and starts crying again. He stalks over to Theo and for the second time in Mason’s life, he hugs Theo and thanks him for bringing Liam home. “You found him huh? Thought you were crazy for trying.” He tells Theo quietly, just for them to hear. _

_ Theo nods and makes himself small, but Liam sees him bask in the light of redemption. He sees his beautiful green eyes burn alive when Mason squeezes his shoulder and says, “Thank you, thank you so much.” _

_ “Anytime.” Theo says, giving Mason a friendly shake. _

_ Corey makes his way over to Liam and hugs him too, gives him that gentle smile of his, a thankful and warm “Hey Li.” _

_ Liam identifies this too, as home. _

_ Mason wants to know everything. He wants to know where Liam stayed, how he survived, what he ate. He too, wants to see the red eyes and just about dies when Liam shows him. And they all agree that the shade suits him. The best part: No one questions or blinks when Theo flashes his own blue eyes at them. It simply doesn’t matter. His eyes are now blue and that’s the end of it. _

_ So, Liam and Theo tell them everything well into the dawn. How he built a rickety cabin high up on a mountain, how he caught fish to eat, how he showered in icy water (except that one magical time) and he also tells him how he had to full-shift to save Theo’s life. _

_ Theo in turn tells Corey and Mason of his journey to Colorado as the big black wolf that left Beacon Hills and ran after the boy he loved. Most amusingly, Theo tells them about Steve, and Mason cackles out loud, topples back with laughter. _

_ Liam has always been horrified by spiders. Until it was all he had. _

**~*~**

 

The old man gets up and smiles warm like the sun itself. His face is worn but kind, wrinkled folds around his mouth and eyes, his hands bony and bent. He waves and looks at Liam.

And Liam knows exactly who he is.

He crosses the flower covered field and stops in front of Liam, face still happy and smiling. In his light grey eyes Liam sees years and years, centuries even.

“Steve.” He says without question. There is no question. He knows this feeling of companionship, he’s as familiar with this presence like he is with himself.

“Little Wolf.” The man bows his head in greeting. “Welcome home.” He says in an unused, accented English. “It has been a long, long time.”

“You’re kidding right?!” Theo blurts out beside Liam, his eyes full of wonder though. “You’re… the spid—no, but… how??”

“My friend,” says Steve, “You are half-human half-wolf, are you not?”

Theo stares open mouthed. Liam grins, amazed.

Steve’s eyes glint with a special kind of mischief, “Wolves and spiders are not so different after all, hm?”

He turns around and somehow Liam and Theo know to follow him back to the stream. There they sit down on the round rocks in a small halfmoon. Theo, then Liam, then Steve.

“Uhm, I’m sure your name’s not really Steve?” Liam asks meekly.

Not-Steve agrees, “I am Iktomi, of the Lakota tribe.”

“I’m sorry. I called you Steve, I didn’t mean—”

“A friend is a friend no matter the name. However you please Little Wolf.” He says to Liam. There is a serene calmness around them while Liam takes a second to process it all. Steve—Iktomi—was always there with him, Liam was never truly alone up here, and he remembers that even in his darkest hours, tortured by memories, he felt accompanied. Alone. But still accompanied. Now it makes sense as nuts as it all seems.

Theo still stares incredulous at the man beside Liam, his hand tightly folded around Liam’s. Iktomi looks up then, his old eyes wise when they meet Liam’s, and the alpha responds with a bright red glow.  _ Pack _ .

“You are burdened Little Wolf. Still.”

Liam nods and drops his head, “I am.”

Iktomi touches his hand, his voice ragged with age, “Allow me to tell you of the alpha that runs with the angels.” He smiles kindly, pays no mind to Liam’s bubbling tears because they are unnecessary. Liam looks at him through wet lashes, and swallows down the lump in his throat. Theo’s shoulder is warm and grounding against his while they listen.

He tells them of a big brown wolf with hair long and soft, one with red eyes like Liam’s. The wolf lives on The Other Side, where troubles are few, skies are always clear and he can simply be. He’s strong and virtuous and leads his pack with vigour, protecting, providing. But every now and again the wolf travels to a small town, and he makes a stop at each acquainted door. Sometimes he curls up at a dark-haired woman’s feet while she sleeps and whimpers his name in her dreams. Other times he visits the sheriff’s station where the new young deputy Stilinski shares a meal with the hellhound, there he simply sits with them and watches his friend smile. There are nights when he runs through the preserve alongside the blue-eyed coyote, those nights he laughs as they go faster and faster against the wind until she’s breathless- beautiful just like he remembers her.

Theo smiles, lip quivering slightly, “Do they know?”

“They know.” Iktomi nods, “And afterwards, he returns to his pack of angels.

“But,” he says and sticks a finger in the air, “There is one place he  _ never _ leaves. One where he stays unyielding, where half of him still lives in flesh and bone.”

“Where’s that?” Liam asks and his voice shakes as he does so. He knows the answer, he always has.

Iktomi places his hand on Liam’s heart, “Here Little Wolf. He is with you. In your heart, in your blood, under your skin. And he is  _ proud _ .” he says and beams wide and bright at Liam. “He is proud of you.”

Liam wipes at his nose and sniffs, and by now the tears flow in abundance down his cheeks, “Does he… does he forgive me?”

Gentle, frail hands cup Liam’s face, tilting it up to the sun. The old man shakes his head, “There was never anything to forgive. He only loves you, you are a part of him as much as he is of you, Little Wolf.”

“Okay.” Liam says wetly, “Yeah…” and then Iktomi lets him go and he allows Theo pulls him in under his arm. There he holds him tight, keeping it all together for him like it’s his job, but Liam feels a little more whole. Some of the shards he left behind, now fit neatly into place.

“You can forgive yourself now, Liam.” Iktomi tells him.

Liam’s jaw quivers with a sob. With resolve, and newfound closure, he laughs. Free.

“Thank you, Steve.”

They don’t go up to the very top to see the place where his— _ their _ —cabin once stood. He thinks there’s only so much he can cry in one day. Theo, with red-rimmed eyes, agrees.

Besides. He got what he came for.

In his mind it’ll always be there: Whole, freezing and filled with memories and a love untamed, unmeasured. Incomparable.

 

**~*~**

_ “You want me to come with you?” Theo asks, parking the truck in a narrow, designated space by the graveyard. _

_ “Uhm. Give me a minute?” _

_ “Okay. I’ll be here.” ‘I’m always right here’ goes unsaid. _

_ Theo pulls him in for a hug and uses the few inches he has on Liam to kiss his forehead before Liam shuffles through the thick grass to a large tree where a dark grey, marble headstone stands. _

**_Scott McCall_ **

_ Son. Friend. Leader. Alpha. _

_ Liam sits down in front of it and cleans off a few stray leaves, doesn’t speak for fear of what his voice may do. He pulls his knees up to his chest and rests his cheek there. One hand stays flat on the marble of Scott’s grave. _

He doesn’t see it, but a large brown wolf sits beside him, nudges his snout in under Liam’s arm with a huff.

_ “I miss you too buddy.” _

**_~*~_ **

 


End file.
